This invention relates to professional audio consoles which are used by audio, television, and film production studios in the recording and monitoring of sound and music. More specifically, this invention pertains to multi-channel audio mixing and monitoring consoles which incorporate panning functions that allow the console operator to pan across or "move" the perceived physical location of sounds that are being recorded and/or monitored.
Audio "panning functions" are found in many prior art audio consoles which are used in recording or monitoring environments where changing the perceived physical location of sound is desired. For example, television and film production studios use multi-channel audio consoles which include panning joysticks, trackballs or other pointing devices which are connected to electrical and electronic devices which generate panning control signals representative of physical movement of the pointing device. These devices are then manipulated by the console operator during recording into positions which correspond to a preferred physical location of origin of the sound being recorded or monitored. The panning control signals generated by the pointing device during the manipulation process are then recorded by the audio console automation system in synchronization with the sounds being recorded. The panning control signals are used by the audio console to assign the recorded sounds to one or more audio mixing channels. Accordingly, during playback of the recorded sounds, the perceived physical locations of the sounds correspond to the location selected by manipulation of the pointing device during recording. The recorded collection of control settings and control setting changes is associated with a time base and, as such, is known in the art as an automated mix.
During playback of sound recordings which include panning information, it would be helpful to generate information to the console operator which concurrently represents the physical location of the sounds being played back. This would allow the console operator to observe the effects of the panning information used by the console during playback. In this way, the operator can receive both aural and visual confirmation that the playback accurately represents the manipulation of the pointing device during recording.
In prior art audio consoles, motorized rotary or linear faders are used so that during playback, the faders are moved to positions which correspond to previously recorded level settings. This replicates movement in one dimension. In the case of pointing devices movable in two dimensions, visual playback of panning movements is not available in the prior art except by use of LED displays which are of limited value because they do not replicate the actual physical movement of the pointing device.
A related shortcoming of prior art audio consoles is an inability to quickly and easily activate the record function of the console while using the panning system.
What is needed, then, is an audio console which is capable of recording and physically replaying the movements of a pointing device used for panning the recorded sound.